VICTORIA'S improving fast-bowling depth was underlined on Wednesday as Jayde Herrick and John Hastings ensured Western Australia was limited to posting the lowest one-day target at the MCG for six years.

Despite losing James Pattinson and Peter Siddle to Test duty and Clint Mckay midway though the Ryobi Cup match due to a hamstring strain, the Bushrangers were able to exploit the unusually lively MCG pitch through the efforts of their less-heralded seamers.

Developing keeper-batsman Peter Handscomb benefited from the bowling duo's good form, to become only the second Victorian wicketkeeper to claim five dismissals in a 50-over match.

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WA's 181 total after it chose to bat first could have been even lower had Mitch Johnson been given run-out in the 44th over, when the team was 8-157. The bails at Johnson's end were dislodged by a Glenn Maxwell direct hit while Johnson seemingly had his bat on — but not over — the crease, yet he was adjudged safe by video umpire Geoff Joshua.

In response, Victoria, with Aaron Finch smashing 80 from 89 balls, cruised to victory in the 33rd over, with the loss of just one wicket.

The assistance for fast-bowlers offered by the pitch was evident in the first over when WA opener Liam Davis was struck twice on the arm by sharply rising Mckay deliveries. Australia A representative Davis was not alone in struggling. Of the Warriors' top four arguably only Tom Triffitt looked comfortable, yet he was the game's first victim for 17.

No. 5 batsman Travis Birt, in for the first time this season, began with a superb cover-driven boundary but then holed out after a lazy upper cut to deep third man two balls later.

Birt's wicket ended one of two chains of dismissals that cost WA dearly. The Warriors lost 3-8 between the 17th and 20th overs and then 4-26 between the 37th and 42nd overs. The most painful blow came during that second chain when Mitch Marsh, easily his team's best batsman, fell the ball after reaching his half-century courtesy of a sharp low catch by Handscomb.

Herrick, 27, was a revelation for the Bushrangers last season but had done nothing in his few club or second-XI appearances this season to justify his recall. He started shakily last week against Tasmania but, as is typical for him, took some crucial wickets in the subsequent Sheffield Shield match, against WA.

The most heartening feature of his haul on Wednesday against the Warriors was how few loose deliveries there were dotted around his wicket-taking deliveries.

Having only bowled five overs against Tasmania in his comeback game, Herrick said he relished the increased responsibility. "Last game I didn't get too many overs, so it was good to get a few overs," he said. "It's unfortunate for Clint Mckay to go down, but it was good to get out there and get amongst it and I was pretty ecstatic to get five."